The Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team…
Is working to restore the urban estuary in downtown Olympia by reconnecting the river to the Salish Sea. We are an advocacy group representing the interests of the local environment, natural systems with the services that they provide, and a community that values wildlife, water quality, economic opportunities and natural beauty. We serve as a center for a creative community-driven effort for the health of the Deschutes watershed by focusing on the most beneficial restoration project for the river: freeing its estuary.
DERT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Deschutes Watershed. DERT began organizing in 2009 and became a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2011. In 2020, DERT became an affiliate of Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and a member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance.
DERT’s first objective is to restore the Deschutes Estuary and remove the 5th Avenue dam in Olympia, Washington. We engage in public outreach to educate the people of Olympia, and the state of Washington, about the benefits of a healthy restored estuary. For the past decade we have worked directly with key state agency leaders and legislators to encourage an honest and complete accounting of the costs of alternative plans such as ongoing dredging of a reflecting lake in perpetuity.
Community Forum 
Mud is Life Event 
Sue speaks to supporters 
Festival of the Steh Chass 
Dam Removal Squad
The estuary is the largest and most beneficial project to clean up South Puget Sound, adding 260 acres of estuarine habitat that will bring back healthy populations of fish and wildlife, along with myriad other benefits.
Reconnecting the Deschutes River with South Sound will promote the natural mixing of freshwater and marine water that makes estuaries among the most productive ecosystems on earth. Estuaries effectively filter and bind pollutants and excess nutrients, while providing immense carbon sequestration potential. The Deschutes Estuary can also help buffer rising tides caused by human-induced climate change. Invasive species will not thrive as easily in cooler water with higher saline content. Salmon populations in much of the Puget Sound will become stronger, as 260 acres of nurturing habitat for juvenile salmon will be restored.
Estuary restoration will not only enhance the environment, but it will provide green jobs, recreational activities, and ecotourism opportunities.
